Altan

Altan
Altan on their North America Tour in 2010. L-R: Ciarán Curran, Ciarán Tourish, Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, Dermot Byrne and Dáithí Sproule.
Background information
Origin	Gaoth Dobhair, County Donegal, Ireland
Genres	Irish Traditional Folk
Years active	1985–present
Labels	Green Linnet Records Virgin Narada
Associated acts	String Sisters, Capercaillie, Clannad, Enya, Paul Brady
Website	Official website
Members
Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh Ciarán Curran Ciarán Tourish Dermot Byrne Mark Kelly Dáithí Sproule
Past members
Dónal Lunny Frankie Kennedy Paul O'Shaughnessy

Altan are an Irish folk music group. They were formed in County Donegal in 1985 by lead vocalist Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and her since-deceased husband Frankie Kennedy.^[1] They brought Donegal's rich collection of Irish language songs and instrumental styles to audiences around the world,^[2] and they remain as the world's foremost Irish traditional group with over a million records sold.^[3] They were the first traditional group to be signed to a major label when they signed with Virgin Records in 1996.^[4] Altan have established a large following in Ireland, UK, Europe, United States, Canada and even in Japan.^[5] They have worked with a wide variety of world-renowned musicians including Dolly Parton, Enya, The Chieftains, Bonnie Raitt and Alison Krauss.^[6]

Origin

Frankie Kennedy, as a young musician from Belfast, used to travel to Gaoth Dobhair, County Donegal on his summer holidays, learning Irish and playing traditional Irish music. There he met native Irish-speaker and musician Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, the daughter of famed musician Proinsias Ó Maonaigh from Gaoth Dobhair (Gweedore). Ní Mhaonaigh learned the Donegal-style of fiddle-playing from her father, however, Donegal music was little known outside of the county at the time. Kennedy's repertoire included a number of obscure northern flute tunes drawn from his travels in County Tyrone and County Fermanagh. The pair married in 1981.

Pre-Altan years

Ní Mhaonaigh and Kennedy featured on the first three albums of the well-known Belfast singer and Irish language enthusiast Albert Fry. Two years later they made their first album together, Ceol Aduaidh. This record featured a then un-known musician from Gweedore, Eithne Ní Bhraonáin, now known as Enya. It was a collection of Gaelic songs and Ulster jigs and reels.

Mainstream success: 1987-present

1987-1994: Green Linnet Records

In 1987, they decided to form a band, Altan, named after a lake in Gweedore, Co. Donegal which sits in the shadow of Mount Errigal. They included bouzouki player Ciarán Curran and guitarist Mark Kelly.

Inspired by the success of their debut effort, Ní Mhaonaigh and Kennedy began to work on a new group of ballads and jigs from the north. The result was 1987's Altan, which features many of the musicians who would later join the band under that same name. In the Irish language, altan is a word that means "stream".

In 1989, Altan released their very first album, Horse with a Heart, a well-received album that featured the fiddle-playing of Dublin's Paul O'Shaughnessy.

In 1989, Altan released The Red Crow, which became the first of three Altan albums to win the prestigious “Celtic/British Isles Album of the Year” award from the National Association of Independent Record Distributors and Manufactures (NAIRD).^[7]

In 1992 Dáithí Sproule from Derry joined, and the band released Harvest Storm.

In the meantime, Frankie Kennedy learned in June 1992 that he had Ewing's sarcoma, a type of cancer that attacks bone structure. He endured surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy in an effort to cure himself while simultaneously continuing his work with Altan. Kennedy died in September 1994. After a period of mourning, the band resumed their touring as was requested by Kennedy himself before he died.

In 1993, the band released Island Angel. Billboard cited Island Angel as the fourth-best-selling album of world music in 1994.^[8] In 1994, they were asked by US President Bill Clinton to perform at the White House on Saint Patrick's Day, and they played for him again on his visit to Ireland in 1998. Also, President of Ireland Mary McAleese requested they accompany her on several State visits.^[9]

1994-2000: Virgin Records

After the release of their first greatest-hits package in 1995, entitled The First Ten Years, they were signed by Virgin Records. The band line-up at the time was Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (vocals, fiddle), Ciarán Tourish (fiddle), Mark Kelly (guitar), Ciarán Curran (bouzouki), Dáithí Sproule (guitar) and Dermot Byrne (accordion).

In 1996, Altan released Blackwater, their first album on Virgin Records.

In 1997, Altan released their next album, Runaway Sunday, which featured their popular version of "Gleanntáin Ghlas' Ghaoth Dobhair", a song written by Mairéad's father and a favourite at all their live shows.

2000-2005: Narada Productions

In 2000, the group released Another Sky, their first album on the Narada label.

Altan performing at the Frankie Kennedy Winter Music School in Gaoth Dobhair, Co. Donegal in 2007.

In 2002, The Blue Idol featured the vocals of American singer Dolly Parton, who became close friends with the group after she invited them to play on her 2001 album Little Sparrow.^[10] The album garnered them the award for Best Group at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.^[11]

In 2002, Altan (along with other artists signed to Green Linnet such as Cherish the Ladies) sued for unpaid royalties. Most artists were paid and most claims were settled in 2006 as Compass Records (who would later sign Altan) bought the company.^[12]

In 2003, they released another greatest hits compilation CD called The Best of Altan: The Songs.

In 2005, they released Local Ground. Like almost every other Altan offering, it was met with positive and enthusiastic reviews.

2005-2009: Recording hiatus & solo projects

In 2005 Ciarán Tourish released his début album Down The Line

In 2007 Dáithí Sproule released his début album The Crow in the Sun

On 28 December 2008, the band's singer and fiddle player Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh released her début album, Imeall, at Scoil Gheimridh Frankie Kennedy in Donegal.

2009-2011: Celebrating the 25th anniversary

On 27 April 2009, Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh announced that the band would be going into the studio at the beginning of May 2009 to record a new Altan album with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.^[13]

In July 2009, Ní Mhaonaigh announced that Altan would also release their first DVD as the video recording of a concert on 14 August 2009 in the National Concert Hall (NCH), Dublin, Ireland (again with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra).^[14]

To commemorate their 25th anniversary, Altan released 25th Anniversary Celebration, a compilation album of studio re-recordings of previous material (plus one brand new song) with the contribution of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. It was made available in January 2010 in Japan (where it had its launch in December 2009 during Altan's Winter 2009 Japanese tour), in February 2010 in Ireland & UK and in March 2010 in North America.

After a few European dates in January, February & April 2010 and a 18-date (March to April) United States tour, Altan launched their 14-date "25th Anniversary" (April to June) Irish tour on 23 April 2010 in Dublin. A 8-date UK tour took place in September 2010.^[15]

After attending the Irish Festival of Oulu in Finland & visiting Paris, France in fall 2010, Altan gave their annual New Year Irish concert in early January 2011 at the Scoil Gheimhridh Frankie Kennedy in Gaoth Dobhair, followed by a special 25th Anniversary Concert in late January 2011 at the Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland. Altan then embarked on a 5-date French tour in early 2011.

A 12-date US tour followed in March 2011. In spring 2011 Altan toured Europe, notably visiting France in May and, for the first time, the city of Lyon on 13 & 14 May 2011. After a 3-location US visit in August 2011, Altan participated in early September 2011 in a special Celebration concert of Fiachra Trench at the National Concert Hall in Dublin, Ireland with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.^[16] Just one month later, in early October 2011, Altan gave a special Irish gig in Letterkenny, County Donegal with the Donegal Youth Orchestra and young traditional musicians from the Donegal Gaeltacht. The same month, after a 3-date visit in Belgium and Netherlands, Altan embarked on a extensive one-month German tour called "Affairs of the Heart" during which they played (almost) every day.

2012: Gleann Nimhe - The Poison Glen, the new studio album

After celebrating the launch of the 18th Frankie Kennedy Winter School programme on 29 November 2011 by performing a show taking place during the Liffey Banks Sessions at The Grand Social, Dublin, Ireland, Altan celebrated the new year as well as the release of their new studio album Gleann Nimhe - The Poison Glen on the occasion of their performance on January 1, 2012 at Scoil Gheimhridh Frankie Kennedy, Ionad Cois Locha, Gweedore, County Donegal, Ireland.^[17]

Exactly seven years after Local Ground, Altan released Gleann Nimhe - The Poison Glen, their new studio album of original material, on Compass Records in the U.S. on 28 February 2012, in Europe & Australia on 8 March 2012, in Ireland on 9 March 2012 and in the UK on 12 March 2012.^[18] The recording took place in famous sound engineer & bass player Billy Robinson's Steeples Studios in Ramelton, Ireland and ended in early January 2012.^[19][20][21]

In March 2012, they performed a 7-date tour in the US and a 7-date tour in France (in the north-west part of the country). An extensive 14-date tour in Norway followed in April 2012.

On 12 May 2012, Altan began a tour of Europe in Baltimore, Ireland including a 2-date visit in France on 15 May 2012 in the suburbs of Lyon (Altan's third performance in the area of the Gallic capital in exactly a year) and on 16 May 2012 in Fouesnant, Brittany^[22], visiting Ireland once again, Belgium, UK (where Altan is announced to take part in the Ireby Festival, Cumbria on 2 June 2012), Germany, Switzerland, another 2-date visit in France (respectively on 7 and 10 July 2012 in two adjoining cities Tain-l'Hermitage and Tournon-sur-Rhône) and ending at Gweedore, Altan's homeland on 10 August 2012. A 6-date tour of Germany is already scheduled for november 2012.

Legacy

A winter school of music is now held in Gweedore, County Donegal each year in honour of co-founder Frankie Kennedy, The Frankie Kennedy Winter Music School. Ni Mhaonaigh is regarded as one of the great female singers of Ireland, standing alongside the likes of Mary Black, Moya Brennan and Sinéad O'Connor.^[23]

Discography

Frankie Kennedy and Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh albums

• Ceol Aduaidh (Music of the North) (1983)
• Altan (1987)

Altan studio albums

• Horse with a Heart (1989)
• The Red Crow (1990)
• Harvest Storm (1992)
• Island Angel (1993)
• Blackwater (1996)
• Runaway Sunday (1997)
• Another Sky (2000)
• The Blue Idol (2002)
• Local Ground (2005)
• 25th Anniversary Celebration (2010) (a compilation of studio re-recordings of previous material (plus one new song) with orchestral arrangements)
• Gleann Nimhe - The Poison Glen (2012)

Altan compilations

• The First Ten Years (1986–1995) (1995) a Green Linnet 1-CD compilation
• The Best Of Altan (1997) a Green Linnet 2-CD compilation (the 2nd CD is a 31-min Bonus CD of a live performance on January 15, 1989 at Museum Bochum, Bochum, Germany; this is the only live recording available from the band to date)
• Altan's Finest (2000) a Erin/Valley Entertainment 1-CD compilation of the Green Linnet years
• Once Again 1987-93 (2000) a Recall Records UK 2-CD compilation of the Green Linnet years
• The Best of Altan: The Songs (2003) a Virgin Records compilation of songs from the Virgin and Narada albums: five songs from Another Sky, four from Runaway Sunday, three from Blackwater, and two from The Blue Idol

Solo albums

Although the band members record solo albums, various Altan members sometimes appear as guests.

• Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh - Imeall (2008)
• Dáithí Sproule - A Heart Made of Glass (1995)
• Dáithí Sproule - The Crow in the Sun (2007)
• Dáithí Sproule - Lost River, Vol. 1 (August 15, 2011)
• Ciarán Tourish - Down The Line (2005)

References

External links

• Altan: Official website
• Altan: National Geographic World Music